Apocalypse
by MissFlibbles
Summary: Because somewhere there is a group of heroes, tired and injured but brimming with joy at having just saved the world. A long drabble. Edited.


I do not own Percy Jackson. That honour belong to Rick Riordan.

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**_Apocalypse_**

The monsters had steered clear of the Argo II for this long but they were getting restless. A few had already tried attacking but Leo had promptly shot them out of the sky with the multitude of weapons on board. The form of Mount Olympus stood behind them, glistening even though the sky was dark; a storm was brewing, Percy could feel it. Jason always seemed more on edge when the air pressure increased and even Percy could feel the moisture in the air drop as the clouds sucked them in. The calm before the storm; he had felt this way in Tartarus. Always running, one step ahead of the voices whispering in his ear, the screams that echoed in the darkest pits. Riptide was in his hand, glowing dimly and a quiet wind blew his hair gently against his cheek. A hand suddenly appeared in his left and it took him a mere moment to tangle their fingers together.

'She's getting impatient,' said Annabeth, her body pressing close to his in the cold. He nodded.

'Let her wait,' he said. 'She'll get weaker before she gets stronger.'

'Before we help her rise you mean,' Annabeth replied bitterly.

Percy said nothing. Instead, he lifted their hands, kissing the jagged, healing scar on the inside of her wrist. That was another thing they shared now, thanks to their adventures. First a stripe of grey hair from holding the sky. Now, a sacrifice neither wanted to give. The one thing Gaea needed to rise. The war with the Mother had lasted longer than anyone anticipated; it was nearing the end of December now and the seven had only managed to arrive at Mount Olympus two days ago; Gaea had fallen into an unexpected sleep while she absorbed her sacrifice's blood and that gave the seven an uneasy rest which mostly consisted of helping Camp HalfBlood and their battle with Camp Jupiter and travelling around Greece destroying the various monsters that had risen thanks to the Doors of Death. It had culminated in the standoff that had been going on for around twelve hours, as both sides assessed the others strength and determination. The Argo II had held off in the lead so far. Now, that lead wasn't so clear.

'The storm is getting worse.' Jason appeared behind them, Piper in tow. 'Zeus is getting ready.'

'Gaea won't wait that long.' True to his words, a sharp rumble shook the ground beneath them. The sound of falling rocks and cracking ground brought Frank and Hazel to the deck, Leo shouting after them.

'She's trying to sink us!'

Percy took his hand from Annabeth's and held it out in front of him. His eyes closed in concentration as he matched his power against Gaea's, stilling the earthquake as best he could. His body trembled with the attempt, and all of a sudden, the rumbling stopped. Percy doubled over in exhaustion, waving off the Ambrosia Hazel attempted to give him.

'_That's right my sweet sacrifice,' _came Gaea's voice, slow and sleepy. _'Let me see your power. It will be perfect for my army.'_

'You'd have to kill me first,' ground out Percy. Annabeth wrapped an arm around his waist; pressed a kiss against his neck and whispered in his ear. He shook his head.

Another earthquake came; a warning, as the moon disappeared behind a cloud and a volley of arrows suddenly appeared from nowhere, a wave of silver crashing against the advancing monsters. More surged through the monster dust no hanging in the air, and Leo who had been busy setting the weapons to 'automatic' let out a whoop as the silver jackets of the hunters appeared on their left, where the village of Dion once stood.

_'Surrender my sacrifice. I can promise you won't harm them if you come willingly.'_

Percy didn't reply. He gripped Riptide tighter in his hand and turned to Jason. 'Work the storm,' he said. 'Thalia will get the hint.'

'How long until the Gods arrive?' Jason asked in return, and Percy shrugged.

'Honestly? Probably when they don't think we can win for them anymore.'

The Hunters had begun their descent to the battlefield, arrows still flying. Leo busied himself with lowering the gangplank as another bout of rumbling hit the ship.

'It feels like the end of the world,' he said, rushing over. His hands were sparking in anticipation. 'I don't like it.'

'Isn't tomorrow supposed to be the apocalypse or something?' asked Piper, taking Katropis from her waist, and tightening her grip.

Percy cast one last glance at Olympus, before heading towards the gangplank and the fight of his life. 'Not if we can help it.'

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Two thumbs up if anyone gets it.


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